This week, I reviewed RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection, the recently-released shoot ‘em up compilation that’s on PlayStation 4 and Switch. Normally, when I cover one of these classic game collections, I like to look at what the critics said back in the day, but I figured that no magazine covered the full trilogy. Oh, how wrong I was. There actually was a 1990s magazine that reviewed RayForce, RayStorm and RayCrisis, and it’s not who you would expect. It’s not Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro or even Computer & Video Games. The one magazine to actually cover this full series is, believe it or not, Next Generation.
That’s right, the notoriously grumpy publication that is known for hating shoot ‘em ups is the one magazine to cover all the games in the RayForce trilogy. Who could have seen that coming? So, with that in mind, I thought it might be fun to make a top three list using Next Generation’s own words and scores. There’s just one problem – all three of the games scored three stars out of 5, so the whole thing ends in one giant tie. With no way to break this tie, let’s read each review in chronological order, and maybe you can decide while one they liked the moist. Join me for a vaguely interactive episode of Next Generation Ranks Taito’s RayForce Trilogy.
0:00 – Introduction
1:37 – Galactic Attack (Saturn)
2:38 – RayStorm (PlayStation)
3:48 – RayCrisis (PlayStation)
5:02 – Question of the Day
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